Chip and Joanna’s $10.4 Million Magnolia Market Expansion Includes Relocating a Historic Church
In case you needed further proof that Chip and Joanna Gaines are destined to take over the world, the Fixer Upper super couple recently announced a massive, $10.4 million expansion of their Waco wonderland.
Waco Tribune-Herald reports that Gaineses’ ambitious plan for improving Magnolia Market at the Silos includes a whiffle ball field, more retail, a coffee shop, gardens, splash pad, and the relocation of a historic Waco church. And the whole thing is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Phew!
Proposed changes to the 4.9-acre site, which already draws an estimated 30,000 visitors per week, include transforming the parking lot into a “retail village” arranged around a green lawn. According to the Tribune, this village will include eight buildings: five retail spaces, two bathrooms, and one information center.
WATCH: The Rundown on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Post Fixer Upper Plans
The green will be anchored by the Second Presbyterian Church building, which currently sits less than a mile from the Silos at 510 N. 13th Street. The church, which was originally built in 1894, sat vacant for decades before the Gaineses purchased it in February of 2017. The master plan reportedly states the church would be used as a place to sit and possibly hold seminars.
Preservationists hope Magnolia can rescue 123-year-old Waco church https://t.co/JzfzxCFjdl pic.twitter.com/8NnqvHrkHx
— Bruce Tomaso (@brucetomaso) October 23, 2017
Joanna discussed the decision to purchase the historic church in the Fall 2018 issue of The Magnolia Journal. “There are certain projects that sit in my heart. This is one of them," she said. "This church has a soul, and I look forward to letting it share its own story. We’re not rushing it; we’ll let it tell us in its own time. That’s what keeps me hanging on to this one."
.@magnolia Market at the Silos plans to make $10.4 million in renovations and additions before the end of the year, with plans to add a whiffle ball field, more shops, gardens and a relocated historic Waco church to the 4.9-acre site.https://t.co/C1cx41sGL7 pic.twitter.com/gVEOVB1zNJ
— Waco Tribune-Herald (@wacotrib) June 20, 2019
Relocating the aging structure won’t be easy. Architect Sterling Thomson told the Tribune, that the steeple may even have to be removed and reattached during the move.
“Whether they have to dissect the building or not, it’s a big job,” Thompson said. “But moving a structure that big can be done.”
